Car salesman Mohammed Ashraf has been jailed for stealing almost £50,000 from his employer, Otley Motors, Yorkshire.

Between 2000 and 2004, Ashraf committed more than 200 separate offences at the Ford dealership, pocketing £49,535 of Otley Motors’ money.

Last week, prosecutors told Leeds Crown Court how Ashraf started deceiving his employer after his commission structure was cut in half.

Despite still earning around £30,000 Ashraf set out on a four year long course of deception. His methods included producing documents to suggest he had given refunds to customers who had part-exchanged cars, when in reality he kept the cash. He also falsified invoices, hiding the true selling price from his employer and keeping the difference.

Asraf, from Bradford, admitted obtaining money by deception, theft, false accounting and three counts of deception. He asked for a further 222 similar offences to be taken into consideration.

Jailing him for 20 months, Justice Geoffrey Marson described him as, “thoroughly dishonest”, and said Ashraf feathered his own nest, “for greed and no other reason”. Judge Marson made a confiscation order for £49,535. Of this, £40,000 is to be paid to the creditors of Otley Motors – the company went into receivership in October last year.